The Blond Boy (Newt Fanfiction)
by Lea Valdez
Summary: This is pretty much the Maze Runner except with a twist: Teressa showed up with another girl with her.
1. Chapter 1: Memory Malfunction

**Hey guys, just finished the Maze Runner. After seeing Thomas Sangster, I'm just like *plays hallelujah in the background*...  
Newt is AMAZEBALLS. Just never mention page 250 and I'm good. This is the Maze Runner with a little twist, ultimately making the whole thing kinda change. Kinda. Don't own any of the characters, only the OCs. Hope you guys enjoy!**

 **P.S. Let's assume Newt is straight**

Netanya's POV  
Darkness, darkness everywhere. The sound of metal grinding against metal vibrated around me. I tried to remember how I had got into this elevator. Nothing. I couldn't remember anything. Surprised I tried to remember what I remembered last. Nothing. At this I got scared. I tried to remember my parents. Blank. This time, dread filled me. What was happening? What happened to my life? Why couldn't I remember anything? With absolutely nothing of my past clear to me, I tried to ask myself the simplest question possible. What was my name? _Netanya_ , I thought.

"Help!" I screamed, my voice hoarse. "Someone, anyone!" I stumbled around in the dark until I fell over something. I got up and felt around. Suddenly, I red light started flashing. I looked down to see a girl, lifeless, on the floor. I screamed and scrambled to the furthest corner I could get. Cradling my legs in my arms, I rocked myself back and forth, muttering my name over and over again. It was all I had. How long would I be in here?

All of a sudden, the elevator stopped and there was another grinding noise, but this time from the top. I buried myself deeper into the crevice and felt a jab at my side. I looked around to see a pointed knife in a crate. I slowly extracted it, without drawing attention. Voices came from outside. Soon, a pair of feet entered the box.

"Holy..." it muttered, as a second pair followed.

"No way,' said the other. I could hear voices from outside making a commotion, but one question stood out from the crowd: What had happened? The two guys didn't seem to notice me yet, I slowly got into a crouch and sprang. I held a knife to one of the guy's throats. He had blond hair and dark, brown eyes. The other guy was already hauling the dead girl to the surface.

"Where am I?" I hissed with all the poison I had, but I was weak and confused.

"Whoa, put the bloody knife down, we're not gonna hurt you,' he said. I didn't waver, waiting for my answer. "Come on, put the knife down. You'll see where you are once you're out of the Box." Hesitantly, I pulled the knife away from his neck. He walked to a rope which was hanging down and gestured me towards it. I cautiously approached him and waited.

"We're gonna need another rope!" he shouted to the surface. A voice from outside answered while lowering a rope.

"Why? We got supplies?" he asked. The Blonde Boy glanced at me.

"Not exactly," he replied. Once we both got a bearing on the ropes, Blonde Boy tugged it to let the others know we were ready to be hauled. As soon as I reached the surface, there was a collective gasp. Everyone was silent until a boy with flaming red hair spoke.

"So we get our Klunk-head, shucking greenie one day and he messes up everything and then the very next day, the Box comes up with a girl who is dead then another girl just pops out of the Box? What in the shucking Glade is happening?!" he shouted. I already knew that I didn't like this guy.

"What type of language do you speak? Idiot?" I spat at him. Lots of boys looked at me, clearly surprised and chuckled. The boy, who had become as red as his hair, scowled so deeply, I thought it was permanent. Once again, it hit me, I didn't know where the hell I was, who I was and what the heck I did to get here. The red-head was about to speak again, but the dead girl suddenly took a sharp intake of breath. Everyone kind of jumped backwards.

"Everything is going to change," she said before dropping dead again, her right hand making a fist in the air. Blonde Boy slowly extracted what seemed to be a piece of paper which was enclosed in her hand. He read it out loud.

"This is the last one. EVER," he muttered. Everyone took a collective gasp and broke into a commotion. The other guy who had been in the Box seemed to get everyone under control again. I realised that he must've been the leader. I watched as they took the girl to an old, run-down building. Everyone seemed to scatter at that point, under the leader's orders. It was almost as if no one remembered or even saw the confused, dirty girl who was looking around hopelessly. I crumpled to the ground and felt the warm tears rolling off my cheeks. Suddenly, I voice appeared beside me. I lifted my head to see a boy with brown hair and next to him, Blonde Boy.

"Hey, you alright," he asked. I just looked up at him, the tears falling like a waterfall. He took a seat beside me.

"I know it's confusing, but you're in the Glade. Every month, a boy is sent here, their memory completely wiped. Well, that's until now. I arrived yesterday. Someone shouldn't have arrived until next month," he said.

"Who did this to us?" I whispered, horrified at the idea of people just kidnapping kids and placing them in a random place to fend for themselves. The boy just shrugged.

"The only thing we remember is our name," he said. Blonde Boy crouched in front of me.

"My name's Newt," he said.

"Like the reptile?" I asked. He scowled. His name was so ridiculous, it brought a smile to my face, but only for a moment.

"What do you remember?" Newt asked.

"Netanya. My name is Netanya and..." Suddenly, a name crossed my mind. I just blurted it out. "Thomas. I remember the name Thomas. Suddenly, Newt looked confused and stared at the boy next to me.

"Netanya, meet Thomas," Newt mumbled, gesturing at the brown-haired boy. For some reason, I felt embarrassed for knowing his name. "You know, Thomas, she must be hungry. go fetch a sandwich, will ya?" Once Thomas was gone, I started talking again.

"Am I supposed to know that?" I asked, feeling oddly guilty.

"Not exactly," he said. I felt like a complete idiot and failure. I'm sent to a group of weird kids who don't know anything about their past and I manage to be weird even by their standards. I threw my hands up and wanted to scream, but suppressed it. Instead, I curled into a ball.

"I'm the weirdest most idiotic human in the world, aren't I?" I cried.

"Hey, I know it's confusing and annoying, but you'll get used to it, Net," Newt said soothingly.

"Don't call me that," I said, putting my head up. Newt put his hands up.

"Sorry, already done, Net," he said with a smirk.

"You know, Blondie is a pretty bad name," I said, mock-considering the name.

"You wouldn't," he said.

"Oh yeah, Blondie?" I retorted.

"Fine, _Netty_ ," he said back. I groaned. He knew I hated it. "Fine, then quit calling me Blondie," he offered.

"Guess I'm stuck with the horrible name, Blondie," I said. I nudged him and he chuckled. A nice chuckle, not too high or deep. Thomas returned with two sandwiches. He gave both to me before hurrying off. I didn't blame him. He must've been creeped out by me, a psycho girl who knew his name somehow. I wolfed down the food while Newt explained the order and rules in the Glade. Suddenly, a short, cherubic boy ran up to Newt.

"The runners are back," he said, huffing. Newt nodded and stood up.

"Chuck, could you make space for Netty and tell her the basics about the Glade?" Newt asked the chubby boy. The boy nodded and looked down at me.

"My name's Chuck, shuck," said Chuck. I glared at him.

"I don't don't know what that word means. I don't even know what Klunk-head means, but I _will_ call you Klunkhead from now on if you call me "shuck" one more time. Clear?" I said, sternly. The boy seemed kind of surprised at how annoyed I was.

"Word of advice, _Netty_ , doesn't like nicknames of any sort," Newt loudly whispered to Chuck. Chuck nodded and started walking, gesturing for me to follow him.

"I gotta go and check on the runners, but I'll see you soon," Newt said. I nodded as I watched him run across the Glade, already missing his presence.

 _Blonde Boy_ , I thought and smiled. _Blondie_.


	2. Chapter 2: The Fight

**First Newtanya moment. Not much, but still something. I promise you guys the good stuff in like a chapter or two...**

 **P.S. Could you guys start reviewing my story, pls? :)**

Despite Chuck urging me to follow him, I stood there watching as a tall, muscled teen ran out of the walls. Newt had told me that it was against the rules for anyone to step into the maze.

"Hey, Chuck, why are there people coming out of the maze? Newt said it was not allowed."

"Oh, that's Minho, keeper of the Runners. _We_ aren't allowed go in, but runners are," Chuck explained.

"How can I be a runner," I asked, curious. Chuck suddenly went quiet. I elbowed him to make sure he was listening.

"You'll get your job tryouts tomorrow," he said. I assumed that meant I could try out for running. I didn't remember much about my past life, but instinct told me my legs were used to the freedom of running. The sky was already dark and most of the Gladers were assembling wood in the field. I watched as they built a huge bonfire and lit it. Night time approached with party and laughter.

As I was waiting for Newt to show up, I thought about him. He was pretty cute. Looking around, I saw Thomas, who was clearly keeping his distance. Thomas had nice, light brown hair like my own, instead my hair reached up to my waist and was much more tangled than Thomas's possibly ever could be. Feeling weird about that morning, I walked up to Thomas.

"Uh, hi, Thomas," I said. He looked up and mumbled a "hi". "Look, this morning was kind of weird but I just want you to know that I'm really sorry. I don't know what for since I can't remember how I know your name, for all we know, it could be another Thomas I remember, but for what it's worth, I'm sorry. Wow, that was a really bad apology speech wasn't it?" I said. To my surprise he smiled slightly. When he did, I saw the small gash on his nose.

"What happened?" I asked, gesturing towards his nose.

"It's fine, it's just Gally blames me for everything." he said. I cringed at the thought of Gally beating up Thomas.

"Did you get it checked?" I asked. Thomas shook his head. "Here let me see," I offered, Thomas started protesting but I cut in. "I'm just gonna check for infection. Hold still." Since the gash was small, I had to lean in quite a bit. After a moment of observation I leaned back and confirmed with Thomas. "It's fine, but get it bandaged up." Thomas nodded.

"Hey, have you seen Newt around?" I asked. Thomas gestured behind me. I turned around to see Newt looking at me from a distance, but something in his expression seemed sad…

Newt's POV  
I had arrived at the party late because I had to sneak two pints of the sweet berry concoction from the Frypan. I was looking forward to talking with Netty. She seemed… lively, even when she was utterly confused and frustrated. And she had the most adorable "hopeless" expression. I looked around, trying to spot Netty… and found her leaning against Thomas, they were face to face and she had her back turned away from me. I felt a piece of my heart kind of drop..

Netanya's POV  
I approached Newt, who was slouched against a tree. He looked… depressed.

"You okay, Blondie?" I ask, expecting at least a chuckle. He just grunts slightly, as if not interested.

"Rough day," he muttered. I sit down next to him. He definitely didn't have a good day and seemingly didn't want to talk to me, so I just take a seat next to him. We sat there for a while, in silence.

"So, what's up with you and Thomas," he finally asks. I just knit my eyebrows in confusion.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"I saw you, you know, kissing him," he said.

"What?" I almost shouted,

"You know, right before you saw me. Your face was against his."

"My face wasn't against him," I laugh. This time, it's Newt's turn to be confused." Thomas had a bad gash on his nose, I was just checking for infection,"

"Really?" he asked.

"Of course, Blondie." I erupted into a fit of giggles at the ridiculous possibility of me being _with_ Thomas. Newt joined in on the laughter until our stomachs hurt. Once we recovered from our abrupt giggle break-out, Newt passed me a purple drink. It tasted _heavenly_.

"What's in this stuff?" I say, taking a whiff.

"Berries," Newt said triumphantly. A natural instinct told me that I shouldn't have been consuming berries. The world kind of seemed funny…

I felt my throat closing up. The drink came coughing out of my mouth. Newt was saying something but I was too dizzy to hear what he said.

"Newt… it hurts…" I managed to choke. I felt myself slipping, slipping into a tenebrous world, trapped in my own mind. The last thing I remember was being carried in Newt's arms.

I woke up to the sound of the whistling wind. I looked around to see I was in the infirmary and was it still dark out. Newt was sitting next to me. When he saw I was awake, he launched into an apology.

"I'm so sorry, Netty. If I'd known you were allergic-" I cut him off.

"It's fine, you didn't know," I said as I got up. As soon as I was on my feet, Newt pulled into a hug. I held still for a moment but then I hugged him back. Newt was a great friend, maybe even my only friend around here.

"How long was I out?" I asked.

"Around a half hour," he replied. I looked outside to see the party still going. How long did they go on for? Behind me, Newt chuckles.

"They go on forever," he told me.

"Can we go back. I wanna see what it's like here," I asked. Newt seemed to consider it for a while before nodding. I smiled and starting running back to the party. I looked back to see Newt trying to catch up, but he had a slight limp which hampered him. I waited while he arrived.

"You can run, alright!" he said once he arrived. I smiled back.

"Do you party every night?" I asked in wonder. He explained that this was done whenever a newcomer arrived.

"And the newcomer gets to fight the Glade's best," said a voice from behind who had clearly overheard our conversation. I turned around to see the redhead from yesterday, grinning a yellow grin. I cringed at the sight of him but Newt spoke up.

"But you don't have to do it, of course," Newt said.

"Why?" I whined

"Because you'll probably turn tail and run, _girl_ ," he sneered. At that, rage started boiling inside of me. He had crossed the line.

"Say that again, you sexist pig, I dare you," my voice dangerously calm.

"Girls. Can't. Fight." Every word was a sentence of its own. My anger had had enough. I don't know how I knew or if it was a natural reflex, but I kicked him square in the stomach. He was sent flying backwards. Everyone "ooh"ed and cheered. I walked up to him, kneeling next to him.

"You were saying?" I said to him. I heard a few snickers from behind. His arms turned to fists and I could see the tension building in them. I waited until the last second…

His fist came flying, but before they came in contact with my nose, I gripped them hard and squashed them to his back which amde him arch backwards and flat out against the ground again. I kneed his stomach one last, good time to make sure he wouldn't be able to get up or even move for a good while.

"I may not remember who I am, but I already know I don't like people like you. In fact, I hate them. And you know what happens to people I hate? Bad things. Bad, bad things," the crowd around me kept quiet for a moment. "Be afraid." I leaned down to his ear and whispered loud enough for everyone to hear. "Be very afraid." I let him go and the crowd erupted into cheers. I went to stand by Thomas' side, who was grinning from ear to ear.

"Good job on beating up Gally," he congratulated. I shrugged.

"So this is the Gally who gave you that gash?" I asked. Thomas nodded. "He deserved it," I said. All of a sudden, the day's toll came crashing down on me. I yawned. I needed to find Newt. I had no idea where my area was. I spotted Newt by the tree were at earlier. He chuckled when he saw me. He gestured at Gally and gave me a thumbs up. I smiled. And yawned.

"I'm tired," I said. "Where do I sleep?" I asked. Newt, who had clearly not considered this, wondered about it for a moment.

"There no more space left in the homestead," he concluded. I groaned, I desperately needed to sleep.

"You could sleep with me," he offered. Right after he had said it, he realised what he had said, blushing a deep red. "I mean not _with_ me, I mean-"

"You're lucky I'm sleepy," I said. "Or else, I would've annoyed the shuck out of you for the rest of your life. Now, if you may kindly escort me to my bed, it'd be appreciated."

Newt led me to a kind of shack with twin beds inside. I fell asleep in the one which was neatly arranged, obviously the unused one. Not bothering to change, I just thrust off my shoes and tucked myself in. Fatigue was already pulling me into a deep sleep.

"Good night," I heard Newt say.

"Night, Blondie."


	3. Chapter 3: Barbaric Ben

**Hey guys, hope you like this chapter. I would've said more, but instead of rambling on, I'll get right in, so, enjoy!**

Netanya's POV

I woke to the sound of someone shuffling by me. I open my eyes and see Newt in a pair of worn jeans. Just worn jeans. His chest was completely bare. I could see that he had a lean figure. His arms had slight definition and the planes of his chest were distinctly defined. I see him about to turn around so I close my eyes and pretend that I was asleep.

Slowly, I open my eyes, giving the effect of opening my eyes and let my eyes "adjust" because I had just "woken up", certainly not minutes ago. Pretending that I hadn't seen Newt, I groaned and hid my face under the covers.

"Put a shirt on!" I complained. I thought I had meant it but then again…

"Sorry, did I wake you?" he asked.

"Blondes _are_ dumb, well, at least some certain ones are," I muttered. Newt chuckled and I sneaked a peek to see if he had put a top on. He did, and for a moment, an odd pang of a feeling went through. What was it,... disappointment? No, it couldn't be. I shook my head and got up. I looked down to see I was still in the clothes I had worn since I had gotten here; dirty, ripped clothes.

"Where do I get fresh clothes from?" I asked.

"Apparently the Box had a crate of girl stuff in it," he replied, gesturing towards a crate at the corner of the room with a pail of water next to it. I started searching through the box and set out an outfit for myself, by that time, Newt had already left. I immersed myself in a warm shower, scrubbing all the dirt away, and then I put on my new clothes. I stared at myself in the mirror for a while. There was a girl standing there staring back. She had long, silky brown hair and golden eyes. A fair, flawless complexion. She wore a plaid red and blue shirt with a denim hoodie and denim shorts. To tie it all up, she wore high-top, black sneakers. I pulled my hair back into a ponytail and smiled. This was the first time seeing myself… that I could remember.

I walked out of the shack and went straight to Alby. He was standing in front of the infirmary. I walked up to him.

"You must be Alby," I greet him. He looks my way and smiles.

"How was your time here?" he asks. I tell him how much fun I had, especially beating up Gally. He chuckled when I said that.

"I like you, kid. That dumb shank deserved that for a while now," he says. I peek at the inside of the infirmary. The girl was still lying there. Alby saw what I was looking at and blocked my view.

"Newt is waiting for you at the gardens for your first job audition." I nodded.

Newt's POV

I waited for Netty to show up. I had purposefully chosen to give her the garden audition. It would be nice to spend most of the day with her. I suddenly realise that Netty was walking through the hair was flowing down her back and her eyes seemed brighter and her- my thoughts interrupted me with one, single thought: Netty was bloody gorgeous!

Netanya's POV

I look around until I find Newt. I wave at him and walk over.

"Hey," I said, nervous for some reason. I probably had gardened in my past life, right? He smiles and greets me. Newt started explaining the rules of gardening, I probably turned off halfway. After he finished talking, he brushed his hand through his hair. This made me smile. He looked _adorable_! Thomas also arrived soon and he was "auditioning" too. Newt set me to pruning the vines and Thomas to get more fertilizer. Thomas obviously didn't want to and began protesting and asking if there was anything else, but Newt refused. I felt really bad for him…

"Hey, I can get the fertilizer with. Newt, you prune for me, right." Before anyone could say anything, I snatched the bucket Thomas was holding and ran off with Thomas tailing me.

"Thanks," he said. I nodded, I liked Thomas. Not in the girl-likes-a-boy-oooh way, but in a brotherly way. I had adjusted to him quite quickly. In fact, a day! I looked back and was surprised to see that it had _only_ been a day. It felt like forever.

We wondered around for a while, laughing and joking, trying to find a source of fertilizer. Suddenly, we came across a graveyard. Thomas and I stopped in our tracks and just stared. Suddenly, I caught a disgusting smell. I looked down. At our feet, there were bones, rotting and fly-infested. I screamed at it and Thomas almost did too. As we turned around, ready to run back, I heard the noise of footsteps. I let out a breath and it relieved me to know someone from the Glade was probably going to help us.

Finally, when the footsteps arrived, I saw Ben. but something was off, he was paperwhite, his veins were stark against his skin and his look was murderous.

"Ben?" Thomas asked. All of a sudden, Ben leapt and was on top of Thomas. He brought his fist down as Thomas thrashed about. I ran to Thomas and Ben and took him off Thomas. I locked my ankles around Ben's waist and snatched his arms and put them behind his back. Thomas rolled away.

"Go!" I shouted as I tried to control a writhing Ben.

"What about you?" he asked.

"Go get help, you idiot!" I shouted back. He started running faster than anything I had seen before. I stayed there awhile, trying to make Ben stop. Finally, he went limp. I loosened my grip and he turned around as I stood up. Ben was a nice guy. I had seen him a few times, occasionally.

"What the hell were you thinking," I said, trying to keep my voice calm. He looked up at me and I realised there were tears streaming down his cheeks. And his t-shirt was kind of lifted. And I saw a harsh, blue stain. A Griever sting.

"I remember. It's all his fault. Don't you remember, Tanya? Don't you remember that shucking brother? And you-you tried, but they-they would just- every time- and," he stuttered.

"Shhh. It's OK. Ben, calm down. It's just the sting. It's OK," I soothed. Ben turned to me and looked me in the eye.

"Sorry Tanya, but it's not," he whispered before a rock came bashing into my head. Stars appeared in my vision and then, darkness. Complete and utter darkness…

Newt's POV

I heard a screaming sound coming from the forest, for a moment, I thought it was Netty, but the scream was much too high. Thomas came running out of the Deadheads with Ben tailing him. I look around and realise something's not right. Where was Netty? She was meant to be in the forest with Thomas.

Ben seemed to get Thomas's foot and tripped him. Ben starting punching and kicking Thomas, who was utterly helpless. Many of the Gladers helped Thomas and finally removed Ben. A bad feeling was growing in me. I walked over to Ben and started demanding.

"Where is Netanya," I hissed. Ben looked down. Was he… sad?

"I'm sorry. I had no choice. She's the strongest of us all. When she let me go and trusted me to stay still, I-" Ben choked on the next few words. "I'm sorry," he repeated, shaking his head. I grew very still. It couldn't be, she was a fighter, a survivor.

Abruptly, I ran into the forest and started shouting Netty's name at the top of my lungs. I ran around, looked everywhere until I saw Alby approach me.

"The shank said that he ki- left the poor girl at the graveyard. I nodded once before running off to cover the stinging in my eyes. Oh Netty, what have you done?

All I hoped was that Netty was alive, still breathing. Finally, I came to the clearing for the graveyard. Netty was lying there, her chest wasn't rising visibly. I almost cried out, but I needed to know and do every last thing to keep her alive. I ran to her side and took her wrist. Calming my own pulse, I measured hers. For a second, I felt nothing under my fingers, but then and soft, coherent thud started up. I sighed, running my hand through my hair.

Looking down again, Netty was wide awake and she had a smile on her face.

"Newt?" she asked, weakly.

"Shhh. You're weak, you shouldn't talk," I said and then I smirked. "Almost dead, in an unconscious state, and the slightest sigh wakes you up? You _are_ the world's lightest sleeper.' She just smiled. Her eyes were already dropping down again. She tried to get up, but her arms failed her. She probably didn't know what she was doing. I heard her yawn. Slowly, I scooped my arms underneath her ankles, looped her arm around my neck and finally, placed my other arm to cradle her head. Carefully I lifted Netty up. She groaned adorably and shifted in my grip so both her arms were around my neck. I couldn't help but smile. She curled in and buried her head in my chest.

 _I like only-half-conscious Netty_ , I thought. I looked down. She was sound asleep again. _Definitely_.


	4. Chapter 4: Hit in the Head

**Let the awkward Newtanya moments begin! And may the odds be ever in their favour! ;) #crossreferencing**

Netanya's POV

I woke up, but before I could process it all, I see the face hovering above mine. Newt's face was right above mine, cleaning my forehead with a cloth. Before he could realise that I was awake, I impulsively jerked my head. A terrible feeling went up through my nose as it came in contact with Newt's forehead. We both said "OW!" collectively.

Newt stumbled backwards.

"I'm so sorry," I apologised. Newt held his forehead in his hand and looked at me.

"You've got a bloody nose!" he muttered.

"Yes Newt, all humans have noses, in fact," I said while rolling my eyes, smiling.

"No, you have a nose which is bleeding," he said. I touched the bottom of my nose to feel a liquid. Raising my finger to see it, crimson blood was smeared across it.

"Where are the tissues?" I asked. Newt pointed to a shelf, a box of tissues stashed at the top. I walked over to it and tried to reach it. As my hand wandered about, it touched something odd. I looked up to see a spider. I pulled my hand back, spilling the tissues in the process, screamed at the top of my lungs and stumbled backwards. As I did, I lost my footing and landed right on top of an unsuspecting Newt.

For a moment a just stared into his eyes: warm, brown eyes. Abruptly I got up and apologised.

"It's fine," he said as I started gathering the tissues, which were EVERYWHERE. "Here let me help you," he offered.

"Your the best," I thanked. We started collecting all the tissues. Finally, there was only one left on top of the drawer.

"I'll use that for my nose," I mumbled. There was blood all over my face at this point. Just as I swiped it off the table, a bottle next to it toppled over. A brownish liquid came spilling out and in an attempt to clean it, I used the rest of the tissues to wipe it. But that just results in the tissues to fall everywhere again. Newt suddenly puts a hand on my arm. I turn to him.

"Hold still," he mutters, dabbing a tissue in a glass of water and slowly wiping my face. I watched, completely motionless as he worked diligently on my face. I studied all the perfect features of his. His breath tickled my face and the feeling returned.

The feeling that stung me the moment he had left to check on the runners on the first day, the feeling that had occurred to me when I woke up and saw him shirtless first thing in the morning, the same feeling that had hit me when I opened my eyes to see Newt sigh and brush his hand through his hair. The feeling that went through me when I had stared into his eyes when I fell. I slowly realised and admitted it: I was falling for this boy. This very charming, British boy.

"Netty?" Newt asked, waving his hand in front of my face to wake me from my trance. I looked at him.

"Thanks," I said. He smiled and brushed his hand through his hair and I couldn't help but smile myself. It was utterly adorable when he did that. All of a sudden, his expression turned serious.

"Alby said he needed to talk," Newt said as he led the way.

And it all came back to me… Ben, and the words. "Don't you remember that shucking brother?" I didn't have time to think then, the words just struck me as odd, but now…

Once we reached Alby, I saw the grave look on his face and the others gathered around us. Ben was in the middle, hands tied.

"Netanya," Alby addressed. I looked around, what was happening. I caught Thomas's eyes and asked what was happening silently. He just looked down.

"Netanya, if you could tell us what happened," Alby asked.

"I- He came out of nowhere and started attacking Thomas. And I held him down while Thomas looked for help. We were there for a while until Ben stopped writhing about but then he…" I trailed off as I touched my forehead as I remembered how Ben had thrust a rock there. There was a growing lump on my head.

"No!" Ben started. "NO, Tanya you remember, don't you? The serum wears off you the quickest! Thomas, he-he betrayed you-" but he was cut off by a kick. I was completely confused. What was he talking about?

"Did Ben attack you and Thomas," Alby asked. I gulped down. Ben started protesting and shouting but another kick stopped him.

"Yes," I almost whispered, wanting to hide.

"That's enough," Newt said in my defence. "Ben's proven guilty, now we can get rid of that shank and stop torturing Netty." Alby nodded and Newt took my arm, leading me out of the hall and stood outside. After a while, I started speaking.

"What are they going to do?" I squeaked. Newt looked down at me and said nothing.

"What are they going to do?" I repeated. Newt looked towards the maze.

"They're gonna put him in the maze."

I gasped. On my first day here, Newt had explained what a Griever was, what their sting looked like and what would happen if you spent a night in the maze.

That night, I watched as the poor boy was brought out. I was standing next to Thomas, horror filling me. As they pushed him into the maze, I closed my eyes and buried my head in Thomas' chest as he hugged me. What had I done to deserve this? After the banishment was over, I started walking back to my/Newt's shack. It had been a long day and my old friend, Sleep, was yearning a visit.

A walked back, looking at my feet and blocked out everything else. All I could think of were Ben's words. They rang in my head over and over again. What did it mean? It probably meant that the Griever sting had made Ben go psycho (which it did) but the word "brother" kept jabbing my head.

Deep thought ensued and I was so concentrated on them, I didn't notice the shadow which was creeping up from behind me. Suddenly, a weight fell on me and I looked up to see a girl. She had long, black hair, electric blue eyes and pearly white teeth. She might've looked pretty if she didn't have that murderous look on. Before I could move, or even shout for help, The girl screamed.

"YOU TRAITOR!" she screamed before a fist came bashing into my forehead. Again, stars appeared in my vision before darkness ensued.


	5. Chapter 5: Falling

**All I'm gonna say is…. Hope you survive the frustration. Good luck!**

 **P.S. The order of events in this are not the same as in the movie/book**

I woke up once again, from darkness for the second time in a day. Looking around, I see I am completely alone. I get up and my head starts throbbing. Looking in the mirror, my head had a small lump on it which was a vile purple. And then it hit me, the girl. Whispers started infiltrating my mind. And they said one word: _Teresa, Teresa, Teresa_ ….

Teresa. Something seemed to click in my mind, but only halfway. That feeling of not remembering something but still feeling the essence and knowing it's _right_ there. I walked out of the cabin to see most of the boys standing in front of a small wooden tower, holding lids and pans over their heads because rocks were falling from the sky. I saw Newt and hurried over to him, Winston covering the three of us with a crate lid.

I hurried to the side of the tower where the rocks weren't falling and quietly advanced on the steps upwards. I still had the knife I had retrieved on my first day buried in my pocket. Gripping the handle tightly, I sprang to top level of the tower where the girl was. As soon as I was up, I saw the girl holding a long, sharp sword at my neck.

"You…" she hissed. I glared at her.

"PUT. IT. DOWN. TERESA," I ordered. She hesitated for a moment, I was right, her name _was_ Teresa. Teresa put the sword down slightly… and leapt. She landed on top of me, sword pointed right above my chest. I kept my breathing slight to avoid the point. We were at the edge of the tower and everyone could see her and me. They gasped and started shouting.

"Everyone, bloody shut up!" Newt shouted in all the panic. Everyone stared at me and the girl. "Netty," I heard Newt whisper.

"Thomas, where's Thomas?" Teresa panted. I grimaced. She knew Thomas. Was he safe? Anger surged through me. This… girl… was dangerous. She was the whole of hell stored in a single body.

"Get of me, you slinthead," I hissed before rolling to the side. In the process, Teresa slipped under, her sword grazing the right side of my stomach. Blood started seeping through my clothes but I ignored it. The small knife was now hovering right above Teresa's neck. The sword in her hand clattered out of her hands and off the tower.

"You move a single inch, and your throat will be in two pieces," I warned. She scowled but held still.

"You, you ruined everything," she said, tears suddenly streamed down her cheeks. "Is it weird that all I know is my name, Thomas, and you're a traitor. I don't know why, but I know." Poison filled her voice.

"If anyone is going to be blamed here, it's you. You tried to kill me," I said. "And you don't even know why." All of a sudden, she kicked her legs up to free my ankles. I cringed and she took the chance to grab the knife from my hand, pointing it at me. I felt the point nick my throat but I backed up. She kept coming closer, until I was on the very edge of the tower. All that was left between me and the 15 feet fall was a very weak strip of bamboo which would come loose if a tripped over it. I looked back. locking my eyes with Newt's. I told him what to do with eyes. He shook his head, but I had already made up my mind. I turned back to Teresa, she brought the knife closer, hesitating momentarily. Behind my back, my hands gestured Newt. 3...2...1.

I jumped. I just jumped backwards and my body flipped in the air. I fell. It felt like forever. The wind whistled in my ears, I kept falling, the shouts of my name all around me. Closing my eyes, I waited for death to swallow me up, but instead I met arms which held me only inches from death. I opened my eyes to see Newt stumble from the impact of my weight. I fell on top of him and everyone was quiet for a moment. I let out a breath. I was safe. Everyone started swarming and helped us up.

I looked at Newt, it could've all ended there and then, but I had trusted Newt and he had kept my trust. I looked at him, ignoring the crowd around us. Tears formed in my eyes as I saw the fear still lingering in Newt's eyes. Without any warning, I pulled him into a hug. He hugged me back and I whispered "thank you" to him.

"Don't ever bloody do that ever again. OK?" he said. I nodded and pulled back. I felt something warm on my face. I wiped to feel tears there.

"Crap," I said, wiping them away. I turned around and saw Thomas there. He pulled me into a hug and the look in his eyes said that he wanted to slap me… badly. Alby, Frypan and most of the other Gladers took turns hugging and chastising me. Finally, everyone seemed to realise that Teresa was still up there. She had a look of sheer horror on her face. I smirked and put a thumbs up. She just stared back.

"Thomas, she'll only talk to you," I whispered. He looked at me and horror filled his eyes. It was obvious he was thinking exactly what everyone else was thinking: girls are worse than grievers when they want to be. I looked back up to Teresa.

"You can talk to Thomas, but only where we can see you. And not before you spend two nights in the pit. Take the chance to calm down," I shouted. "Either that, or I'm comin' back up with couple of the boys and a good punch." I hated Teresa. I HATED her. She was a shucking, slint-headed shank who almost killed me. And she was way too dangerous to talk to now. Everyone waited expectantly. Finally she came down. As soon her feet touched the ground, two boys snatched her arms and searched her for any weapons. All the while, we glared at each other, fire raging in both our eyes. I gestured towards Thomas and the hall. A group of boys took the girl to the hall with Thomas. Everyone else either went back to work or went too see what would happen to the girl.

I personally needed some peace and quiet. I wandered aimlessly into the forest, grabbing an extra pair of clothes in case something happened and ran into the forest. I hadn't had time to run since I had arrived here but now, my legs were free. I sprinted free through the forest and let the wind greet me graciously. Finally, I came across a creek. It was beautiful and clear. I felt my body yearn for a clean. I found a log nearby, where I sat and took my boots off. I shimmied off my jeans an took of my jacket but kept my shirt on. It was a few sizes too big, hanging halfway to my thighs. After leaving my extra pair of clothes on a branch, I approached the creek.

I put the toe of my foot in the water to check if it wasn't too cold. No, it was heavenly. I dived into the water, happiness and relief flooding me after a day of havoc. Only, that feeling didn't last. Once I emerged back from the back, I saw the last of my clothes being carried off by a coyote. I watched, wide eyed as it ran away. Half of me hoped someone would stumble over me but the other hoped that I would die there and then, it would save a whole lot of embarrassment. Finally, my eyes caught the towel which was lodged at the highest branch of another tree nearby. What were the odds? It was better to be wrapped in a towel, returning to the Glade than just a big shirt. I relaxed and went back to bathing myself. For a second time, I went underwater and stayed there awhile.

Suddenly, I heard a splash next to me. I swam towards one of the rocks and hid behind it without drawing attention. Peeking around the rock I saw who had jumped in. It was Newt. His hair was damp and the most adorable look covered his face. But my eyes widened even more when I realised he was shirtless. Finally, after I skimmed through all the possibility, I found that I should've made my presence known. For some odd reason, my mind convinced me to stare at him a minute longer before talking.

"Uh, Newt?" I squeaked. He turned around instantly, spraying water everywhere and looked around for the source of the voice. I swam from behind the rock to in front of it.

"Netty?" he asked. I nodded. It was _SOOOOO_ awkward. "What are you doing here?" he asked me.

"I, uh, found this place. Since I had extra clothes I thought I might as well, you know, dive in. And then a coyote stole my clothes, so now…" my words hung in silence for a moment before Newt burst out laughing. I flushed even deeper.

"It's not funny!" I said, annoyed. He kept laughing.

"A bloody coyote ran off with your clothes?" he said, laughing. I frowned. It wasn't funny at all! Finally, to stop his ridiculous laughter, I sent a typhoon after him by pushing at the water hard. It drowned him for a second, but when he was supposed to come back up again, he disappeared. I looked around but he was completely gone. Suddenly, I felt a push at my legs from underneath. I lost my footing and fell inside the water. Underneath, Newt was there, his cheeks puffed up, holding his breath. He looked insanely ADORABLE! I smiled for a moment before using Newt to push myself back up, leaving him under. He got up right after me, causing a huge splash.

We were laughing our heads off. I sprayed him with water and swam behind a rock before he could get me back. Looking from on side of the rock to see if he was there. Once again, he was gone. I stepped out from behind the rock after scanning my surroundings. Suddenly, I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned around just in time for Newt to soak me. I laughed. We both were.

"Thanks, Newt. Thanks for catching me," I said, smirking.

"Oh, Netty, if you knew how fast my heart was beating that one moment," he whispered.

"I'm sorry. I had no other way," I apologised. He chuckled.

"All that matters is that you're here now," he said. "And I'm not gonna let you do anything like that again." I nodded. His face was only inches from mine. I could feel his breath tickling my neck.

"Oh, Newt," I whispered. He leaned in slightly. OMG! Was he really going to….

Abruptly, he turned his head and pulled me into a hug, my smile faltered for a moment. Maybe he just didn't think of me like I did of him. Tears threatened to come falling. I held them back for a moment, but then again, there was no point. This was the world's biggest tragedy: falling in love with someone who considered you a "friend". _You have to accept it_ , I told myself.

"Hey, it's fine. Don't cry," Newt said, wiping my tears away. Oh, if only he knew. I sniffed before talking.

"We should get back," I said. He nodded and started climbing out. He put on a pair of jeans and passed me the towel. We walked back to the Glade in silence.

Newt's POV  
 _Stupid. STUPID. STUPID!_ Netty was so close. I was about to- about to kiss her, yet I hugged her. That one moment, I faltered. I was scared. I knew nothing of girls. But why did I let that scare me?! The truth hit me: I was scared Netty didn't like me the way I liked her. I had a stupid limp and every other guy in the Glade was better than me in some way. _Bloody idiot_ , I told myself. If only Netty knew how I loved her.

Netanya's POV

I walked back silently to the hut and changed as Newt waited outside. As soon as I was done I opened the door, let Newt in and hurried away. I couldn't stand being close to Newt, but not close enough. To know that he would never love me the I loved him. I did the one thing I did best: I ran.

I bumped into Thomas who was standing in front of the maze observing the maze. He stopped me from falling over before studying my face. I could feel the tears stinging my eyes. Instead of asking like every other shank in the Glade, he just embraced me. He understood me. He knew what it felt like. I stood there a while, calming myself.

"Thanks," I said. He nodded.

"Hey, Thomas?" I asked.

"Yeah."

"I want to get out," I whispered. He sighed.

"Me too. But the only way out is the maze."

"I want to be a runner. The kids have been looking for a way out for God knows how long but no one can find a way out. I want to go in and try," I said, determined.

"I know. I've thought the same thing a million times." We stood there staring at the wall for a few minutes before someone came barrelling out of the maze. A tall, muscled Asian teen made it out just as the doors were about to grind closed. He lay on the ground awhile, panting.

"Ummm, are you okay," I ask.

"Do I look okay to you?" he asked. I got annoyed at that. The day had been long and I was tired.

"Look, if you want something, you could be nice about it," I said, hands on hips. He looked up at me.

"You're not the mood," he grumbled.

"Deal with it," I retorted. Surprisingly, he smirked at that.

"I like this kid." He looked past me and at Thomas. "This is the feisty girl everyone's been talking about?" he asked. Thomas nodded, grinning. For some reason I enjoyed being acknowledged as the "feisty girl". I smiled and held out a hand. The guy took it and I helped him up.

"Netanya," I introduced myself. He smiled.

"Minho, Keeper of the Runners," he said. At that, voices in my head started whispering "runner". _You want to be a runner_ , my thoughts told me. I looked at Minho.

 _Runner_


	6. Chapter 6: I'll Wait

**Hey guys, are you mad? Yeah, you should be… wasn't chapter 5 the worst? Know! Sorry I couldn't update for a few days, we had camp. Hope you like it and I luv ya guys. Keep reading and dying on the inside!**

"How do you become a runner?" I asked. Minho just smiled and chuckled. "No, seriously." Suddenly, Minho's smile vanished. "Your low on runners and I'm one of the strongest in the Glade." Minho seemed to consider the thought.

"After the night you beat up Gally, you've got the strength, after falling 15 feet off the ground, you got the gut, after talking back to me, you got the sass. All you need know is the speed. If your up to the job, I'll put a vote in," Minho said. It was my turn to smile, I loved running.

"Tomorrow morning, I'll have my trials," I said.

"Deal." I smiled, and yawned. I was about to make my way back to the hut when I remembered, Newt was there. I couldn't bear it: to be close, yet not close enough. I ran up to Thomas.

"Mind if I crash with you today?" I asked him.

"Sure, but I thought you shared the hut with Newt. I don't even have a bed," he said.

"I'll use a sleeping bag so you can sleep in the hammock," I offered. In need this desperately. "Please?" Thomas smiled and nodded.

Soon, I was snuggled up in a sleeping bag next to Thomas's hammock.

"What happened?"Thomas suddenly asked.

"Huh?"

"What happened between you and Newt?" he asked.

"Nothing," I replied, trying to keep my voice level.

"I know something happened, I can tell," he said, apparently not convinced. I looked at him, tears glistening in my eyes. "I won't tell anyone," he added to reassure me. Slowly, I retold every event that had occurred at the creek. Tears cascaded down my cheeks. I let them. I could trust Thomas with my feelings. I told him about how much I loved Newt, and how he probably didn't. In the end, Thomas pulled me into a hug. He did the best thing anyone could, he kept quiet. Finally, I let my tears put me to sleep and grief explore my nightmares.

 **Next morning…**

I woke up and got dressed, still depressed from yesterday. Then I remembered that my trials were today. At least that would get my mind off Newt… partially. I smiled a faux smile on my face and walked out of the cabin, grabbing a sandwich from the Frypan and heading to the north entrance where Minho was waiting. He nodded when I arrived.

"First thing's first, do you have any injuries or failings that can stop you from running?" he asked. I shook my head. "Good," he said. He lead me to the front of the hall where there was a white line.

"First one to get back here after 10 laps wins," he announced. I nodded. "Ready, steady…"

"Go!" I shouted as I started sprinting across the Glade. Minho was so close to me, it was hard to decide who was winning. Finally, around the third quarter of the ninth lap, Minho slowed slightly. I took the chance and sprinted ahead. I was so close, just a few more meters. Suddenly Winston placed a crate directly in front of me. I tried to jump and avoid it, but my foot got stuck. I fell on the ground in a crouch. By the time I had recovered, Minho was already done. I jogged the rest of the way.

"NO fair," I said, panting. He smirked.

"Your fault. The maze isn't going remove any rocks from the path so you don't trip and you can't exactly tell a Griever to wait for a moment because you fell." I frowned. I was doing so well until Winston placed that crate in front of me. My clumsy act must have diminished any chance of me becoming a runner.

"But," he continued, "you _are_ one of the fastest people I have ever met. Obviously, I am still invincible, but you're a pretty close second," he said. I beamed. Was Minho, the sass queen (king), seriously acknowledging my skills? Awesome! I mentally high-fived myself.

For the rest of the day, I walked about or stayed in Thomas's place, avoiding Newt at all costs. Finally, when the runners returned, I found Minho. I walked up to him. He was panting and more tired than usual. He nodded to acknowledge my presence.

"Tired?" I asked. He just looked up and gave me the "srsly?" look. I rolled my eyes. "Here, let's go get you something to eat," I said, offering my hand to him. He took it and got up. Soon, we were on our way to the Frypan, Minho telling me what he did that day. To him, every new turn and pattern was fascinating, but to my ears, all he said was "I ran".

Newt's POV

I so badly wanted to talk to Netty… to kiss her. All I thought about was that evening… her beautiful face so close to mine. But I had to let her go, she obviously didn't like me. If she did, she would've at least shown some sort of emotion when I turned away. She probably didn't even realise. I sighed, I had to accept it, although my heart was still screaming her name.

Suddenly, my attention broke from a slight voice beside me, I turned around to see Netty beside me.

"Can I go get my stuff from your cabin?" she squeaked. Netty was seriously asking? She probably hated me more than I had thought. I just nodded, not able to bring my cracked voice out. The day went on, Netanya completely nowhere to be seen. That night, as I slept, all I could see was Netty's face.

Netanya's POV

I woke up with a jolt. Thomas was shaking me awake, trying to signal silence by putting a finger on his lips. I nodded. Thomas led me out of the Homestead and to the North entrance. There, I saw Alby, getting ready for the maze.

"Hey, Alby," I shouted. He turned around to look at me as I approached him. "You're not a runner, are you?" I asked. He shook his head. "Then why are you going in?" He sighed.

"They found a dead Griever. I need to see it," he said. Everyone looked surprised at that.

"So?" I asked.

"In all the years we have been in the Glade, no one has ever found a dead Griever." I stared at him for a moment.

"Let me come," I said. He shook his head. "Tell him Minho," I said, seeing help from Minho. At first, Minho just stood there but then he started talking.

"She _is_ one the best I have ever seen," Minho said. Alby shook his head again.

"Not this time, kid. Maybe after we're back," he said. I sighed. It was no use. For the rest of the day, I kept with Thomas who respected my choices and avoided Newt.

Finally, it was time for Minho and Alby to arrive. Everyone waited in apprehension. They still weren't back. I waited, suddenly, two shadows appeared at the corner. I let out a breath of relief. But I was launched into a panic attack when I saw Minho carrying an unconscious Alby. Suddenly, the grinding sound of the door about to close started. Everyone started screaming. Telling Minho to put ALby down and run. Tere were only seconds left.

 _You're fast, you're fast_ , I told myself. I could grab Minho and make it back before the doors closed, right? Suddenly, I sprinted ahead, sliding through the little space. I grabbed Minho's wrist. There was only a wedge left to the doors. We wouldn't make, it, it was already too small. As I ran back to the barely-open doors, Thomas slid through. The doors closed with a BANG! For a moment, I was just stunned and then Minho spoke.

"Congratulations, you just got yourself killed." We all stood there in silence. This couldn't be real!

"What will we do?" I asked. Minho shrugged.

"Wait to die, I guess," Minho replied. Suddenly, a sudden anger course through me. The shank was acting as if we had _no_ choice. Just because no one had ever survived in the maze before, didn' mean we couldn't.

"Get up!" I shouted. Minho looked up surprised but kept still.

"I said get up, you shank!" I repeated. When he didn't budge I stomped towards to him and before I knew what I was about to do, I slapped him. Right there, square in the cheek. For a moment he was just shocked but then slowly a smile appeared. Small, but it was definitely there.

"You are a special kind of stubborn, Netanya," he said.

"We have to try to stay alive at least," I said. Thomas nodded in agreement. Together, we picked Alby up and wandered through the maze.

Newt's POV

I stood there for a moment. This couldn't be real! Netty couldn't be gone. I collapsed to the ground. Voices from around me blurred through my head, but all I could think about was her face. _She's not gone,_ I told myself. So I waited, waited for as long as she needed.


	7. Update

**Guys, first of all, I am SOOOO sorry. Why? Because I can't update this anymore. High school, has come down on me like a brick and stuff like this is kinda impossible. Again, I'm sorry. But if it makes you feel better, Newt and Netanya were supposed to live happily ever after. And the epilogue, they were supposed to get married and stuff. So... now you have a happy ending... Sorry...**

 **Luv ya guys,  
(And again, I'm REEEEEEEEALLY sorry).**


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